The search for occupants of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, is continuing.
Despite the activation of a search-and-rescue operation by the Nigerian Air Force and other relevant agencies, no survivor has so far been rescued, while no body has yet been recovered.
What was supposed to be a routine flight for the 32 occupants of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, which took off from Benin in Edo State en route to Lagos, turned into a tragedy when the aircraft crashed in the swampy terrain of Igbokoda.
According to residents of the community, they heard a loud bang during the early Monday morning rain before discovering that an aircraft had crashed in the area.
The residents said they immediately rushed to the scene in an attempt to assist, but the difficult terrain and depth of the swamp made access extremely challenging.
MUST READ:Ondo Air Force Plane Crash: NAF Mourns 25 Lives Lost In Aircraft Accident
Security personnel and emergency agencies have since been mobilised as the search for the occupants continues.
Local residents who joined the initial search also recovered some items from the crash site, including identity cards and uniforms believed to belong to personnel aboard the aircraft.
(Follow AIT News on WhatsApp, AfricaIndependentTV on YouTube, ait_online on Facebook and X (Formerly Twitter), and officialait on TikTok, Instagram and Threads)
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
